Making a New Mom's life Easier

Just the other day I was on a Target run and I looked down in my cart and noticed just how differently my life was already looking as a soon to be mom. While my cart normally would contain some needs and a few wants, there were now some baby items included in the bunch. I am sure there will come the day when the baby items start to outweigh everything else and the idea of that is exciting and a little crazy at the same time. While I was there I was walking the aisles looking at all the different gadgets and items you can get for your baby and it was overwhelming how much I didn't know. I mean, even something as simple as diapers. Diapers are the most confusing subject to me. Everyone has an opinion on them, which ones work, which ones don't. I guess the whole thing is a crapshoot (pun intended) and you just have to dive in, get started, and see what works for you and your kid.

Thankfully we have the internet today and you can find an answer or suggestion for just about everything. I swear, without the internet I don't know how I would have found out that you are supposed to track when and how often your baby poops! Who knew? I mean, I don't track how often I poo, but now that I am thinking about it that is something my mom still asks me about sometimes, ha, so who knows. I am sure I would have asked my mom eventually once it came to mind. But that is the scary part, there are so many things to think about that I don't know I should be thinking about. That is what makes this whole parenting thing a little nerve-racking. I am starting to think the learning curve is going to be intense for Trevor and I, haha. But like I said, thankfully we have resources today that make learning this stuff instant, and make the life of a new mom a little easier. The internet and other moms giving suggestions via social media are a big help!

One thing I have loved using since I was just even trying to get pregnant, are the use of Apps! They have an app for everything. I put together my list of the top five apps I am excited to use for when baby girl gets here (and some I am already using) that make life as a new Mom that much easier.

1. Baby Connect ($4.99) - Particularly when your baby is a newborn, you’re going to worry about a lot of things. Baby Connect gives you a place to easily store information such as how steadily your baby is growing, how often they’re feeding, how frequent their naps are, and when their vaccines or medications were last given. You can easily share it with others too, proving ideal if you have multiple caregivers.

2. My Baby Today (Free) - Offering a personalized guide to your baby’s first year, along with plenty of checklists to see how they’re progressing, My Baby Today is a good all around app. A sleep guide offers advice and tracking, while a feeding section does the equivalent for breast-feeding or formula. A Q&A section helps answer any of your concerns too.

3. The Bump (Free) - Designed for newborns, as well as expecting parents, The Bump offers a plethora of real-time parenting advice, along with expert articles and an active community. Week-by-week checklists ensure that you’re on top of things and you can easily keep track of photos of your bump, as well as your bundle of joy.

4. Baby Bundle (Free) - Offering a little bit of everything, Baby Bundle makes it easy to monitor your baby’s daily activities, track their growth, as well as catch up on health information and keep your vaccinations in order. There’s even an interactive forum and parenting guide available for advice.

5. Eat Sleep (Free) - Focusing on tracking your baby’s eating, sleeping, and diaper habits, Eat Sleep makes it easy to know how long your baby is breastfed for, how frequent diaper changes are and how productive they are, plus how many naps your baby is enjoying. It’s these little things that ensure you can keep a routine going.

The use of our mobile devises offer us so much! We have these amazing apps, the ability to connect with other moms for help, you can even get rewards for doing your regular shopping! Take for example the Diaper Genie product I picked up at Target. When you buy participating Diaper Genie products, if you snap a picture of your store receipt using your phone (or you can upload it) and create your own Mommy Time Rewards profile, your purchase gives you points that you can redeem for Rewards. Rewards is cash, for example 1,000 points = $10 rewards, 1,500 points = $15 rewards. If you are shopping for these items anyways why wouldn't you do this? Especially when it is a click of a button from you phone!

Be sure to take advantage of the Diaper Genie “Mommy Time” Rewards Program! Earn points to use towards great rewards for yourself every time you buy or register for Diaper Genie products.

By enrolling in the Mommy Time Rewards Program, moms can take a little more ‘me’ time. Once enrolled, every time you register or purchase participating Diaper Genie products, you can earn points towards rewards for your favorite products and services. Here is how it works:

Buy: Purchase participating Diaper Genie products

Snap: Take a photo of your store receipt using your mobile phone or upload a photo of your receipt or baby registry from your desktop and create your own Mommy Time Rewards profile at www.MommyTimeRewards.com

Redeem: Log in to your Mommy Time Rewards account to redeem your points for eGift Card rewards.Mom can reward herself with her favorite products from participating retailers like Sephora and Zappos, or eGift Cards for massages, dining and more!

6 comments

There are so many apps and information out there! Just make sure you do what works for you and your little girl, regardless of what anyone says! I read so much information before I had Caleb and ended up feeling pretty overwhelmed by it all once he was born. I don't think I trusted my own instincts enough! With Levi I made a point of not reading anything at all before he was born and only reading what I absolutely needed to when he was born and I felt so much more relaxed and chilled about everything. Like I said, do what works for you and just trust yourself!

I agree with Kirsty! I remember feeling overwhelmed about it too with my first but really, you only have to track their poops in the hospital and your pediatrician may ask in general how often she goes but its not that big of a deal unless they just aren't going...my 3rd pooped almost every 15 minutes and HATED to be dirty, it was crazy! Anyway, much of this baby stuff seems like a lot but when it comes down to it, you and your baby will get into a routine, you will quickly pick up on her habits and it will feel much more natural. You will probably be surprised at how much of what you think you NEED, you actually don't. What I packed in our hospital bag for our 3rd, was nothing compared to the 1st! There is definitely a market out there that makes moms think they need more than is necessary so just be careful and don't be hard on yourself. I've also learned that it is good to have a plan but don't set your expectations too high. All 3 of my pregnancies, labor and delivery were different from each other and from other people's. You will know what to do! Y'all have totally got this!

Sounds like you have way too much time on your hands :) Don't worry about keeping track of everything. Doctor offices will keep track of vaccinations and give you a stamped card that you'll keep and take with you to each appointment. You'll then have that card for when you enroll your child in school.

The poop and pee diapers are only recorded in the hospital and then a rough estimate at your first couple of pediatric appointments. The same with how often you feed and how long you feed.

Most hospitals give you diapers and wipes to take home...my experience has been Huggies or Pampers brand. After trying out several types of diapers, I've found I love Huggies the best. I make sure to buy at Costco when they have a coupon discount and then I buy them a couple times during the sale. I've also tried and use the Target Up and Up brand. They are significantly cheaper, but not as thick. I like those for when the baby is very little and not peeing as much, or needing to be changed pretty often. Once I got to a size 3 or 4 diaper I switched to Huggies. Oh also on Huggies packages are codes-sign up for a huggies account and enter the codes, then you can exchange them for gift cards, diapers, toys, stuff for yourself. I think Pampers does that too.

Diaper Genies are a must...I have three at my house-one in the nursery, one in the bathroom and one downstairs. I can't stand stinky diapers, so the genie takes care of that. I also have one at grandma and grandpa's house.

Don't worry about not being totally prepared for the baby...Nobody ever is. Or you'll get stuff that you really don't need....I still haven't come up with a use for a giant bottle of baby powder or baby oil except to do crafts with it.

I laugh at the previous comment...yes you don't need much for your hospital bag. I think I practically had a suitcase worth of stuff for Connor and just a set of clothes to go home in and some soap and shampoo when I had Chloe. That's just something you'll learn through experience. Actually most of this you'll just learn through experience so don't worry much about it.

There really is an App for everything these days. I knew about the poo thing already, don't know why, lol. The thing that's got me confused is the crib mattress situation. :-) This was some really useful information. Thank you so much!

ALYCIA GRAYCE CROWLEY

Thanks for stopping by! My name is Alycia, and this blog has been such a fun space for me to share everything from the very meaningful, the mundane, and the frivolous stuff that falls inbetween. I guess you could say this is a digital journal of sorts! I believe that life should be enjoyed and celebrated, and invite you to join along in the party! ❤